Geller uses her training as an archivist to mine the mementos in search of a better understanding of her mother and her conflicted life. Along the way, Geller also gains insight into her own life and identity. With a deft touch, she weaves together the plotlines of her mother’s life and of her own.

... riveting and searching.

... works on many levels. It is a poignant attempt to understand the author’s mother, who left her and her sister when they were young children and only intermittently showed up in their lives. It is also a portrait of modern reservation life as Geller returns to her mother’s childhood home in the Navajo Nation to meet her estranged family. It is also a story of addiction and the toll it exacts on generations of a family. Geller deftly weaves these narratives and more into a work of art that is at once painful and triumphant.

Gellar vividly recounts her experience coming to terms with her mother’s life.

... reads more like a personal diary where Geller’s mother occasionally makes an appearance, but is more frequently populated by other family members.

Though it successfully follows many of the conventions of literary memoir, seeking resolution through the excavation of family mysteries, it is also important to recognize this book as an indigenous woman’s testimony.

... the author expertly weaves her story into Laureen’s, comparing her memories with her mother's records.

... stirring.